Travellers' long night as Gilgil weighbridge causes traffic snarl-up

Gilgil, Kenya: Hundreds of travellers were forced to spend the night on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway following a six-hour traffic jam at the Gilgil weighbridge.

The snarl-up stretched over five kilometers on both ends of the highway as traffic police officers made frantic efforts to clear the jam.

Emotions ran high as drivers blamed each other for the jam that was caused by overlapping trailers heading to neighbouring countries.

Among those caught up in the jam were senior government officers, investors, tourists and school children.

The Nakuru County Chairman of Kenya National Chamber of Commerce Kamau Njuguna, who was among those caught in the jam, termed the weigh-bridge a disgrace.

He questioned the coincidence of a jam every Friday and Saturday saying plans should be made to expand the section of the road.

Workers strike

"The country is losing millions of shillings in man-power and man-hours at the Gilgil weighbridge every weekend," he said.

Meanwhile, work at the geothermal rich area of Naivasha were paralysed for over four hours after workers from one of the companies involved in drilling the power plant went on strike.

During the incident, the workers from the Chinese company attacked one of the senior managers seriously injuring him.

The manager was rushed to a private clinic in critical condition as armed police rushed to the company located near the Olkaria II power station to contain the situation.

The over 300 workers went on strike over low wages.